


No Business Like Show Business

by Nox_Wicked



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Actor!Thor, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Assistant!Loki, M/M, Temporarily Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-09 22:55:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4367429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nox_Wicked/pseuds/Nox_Wicked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor is an actor on the rise, ready to take on the world. Loki is his workaholic assistant that makes it possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lights, Camera, Action!

**Author's Note:**

> It's been awhile since I actually sat down and wrote a fic for the hell of it. This was just a random idea that got away from me while trying to sleep. 
> 
> I know nothing of how the acting world works, so take anything you read here about that with a grain of salt. Also, time skips. Time skips _everywhere_.

Five minutes late. 

He's doing this on purpose, he has to be. Loki's had more than enough conversations with him about this for him to not know any better.

Uncaring whether he seems rude or not, he clears his throat and taps at his wrist, silently urging Thor to hurry the hell up with his interview and get inside. The premier of his new film is not going to wait for him, headlining star or not. If Thor notices, he doesn't show any signs of it. 

The other assistants and security teams are going in with _their_ actors and actresses, and several of them glance Loki's way with raised eyebrows. As if it's his fault that Thor likes to take his sweet time chatting to a stranger with a microphone. 

The last of them go into the theatre, and Loki can't let his client stall any longer. Cooling his expression is easy, and so is slipping between Thor and the woman interviewing him. “If that's all, Mr. Odinson is needed inside now. Thank you,” Loki says sharply. The interviewer gives him a dirty look, no doubt trying to say _that is not all, how rude!_ but he doesn't care. Thor gives her an apologetic look but allows himself to be nudged in the direction of the doors at least. 

There are cheers and sad cries as Thor waves to the rest of the crowd and steps inside, Loki on his heels. Hogun and Volstagg walk nearby as well, eyes sharp and guard up, ready for any potential attacker or slightly obsessed fan that comes a little too close for comfort. 

“I was almost done,” Thor murmurs to him as they walk down the hall together. His lips are curled into a playful smile and his blue eyes glint with amusement in the dim light of the theatre. 

Cheeky bastard. 

“Just keeping you on schedule,” Loki answers flatly. He knows damn well that Thor would have missed half the movie if not for him. 

They don't get to sit together. There's a specific hierarchy to these kind of things. Actors sit with actors, assistants with assistants, the only exception being when someone brings their spouse or whoever it is they're seeing at the moment. Thor hadn't brought anyone this time, and from the back rows, Loki sees his client has been seated between the two leading ladies. Naturally. 

He tries not to frown too hard at the back of their heads as the movie starts. 

It's every bit as good as the hype for it, as Loki knew it would be. Thor is a phenomenal actor, after all.

 

-

 

They first meet when they're both in their early twenties at a shitty 24/7 diner in LA. Loki is working the night shift because no one else will, and because it means there's almost never any children to take care of. The tips aren't as great as they are during the morning rush, but it doesn't matter because any day now, some hot shot producer from a big studio is going to recognize Loki's true writing talents and buy his latest script for more money than he'll ever need in his entire life. 

He's a little naive, maybe.

Thor is a regular who only comes in during dead spots in the night. Loki knows his order off by heart and though they aren't exactly friends, they have something of a rapport between them. Once in awhile if he's feeling generous, or if Thor is wearing a particularly tight fitting shirt Loki gives him a cup of coffee on the house.

One Saturday night, the only other waiter working messes up an order and of _course_ it's for a customer that likes to complain.

Loki doesn't wait for it to escalate and swoops in like a damn peregrine falcon. By the time he's done, the customer is not only calmed, but has been subtly convinced to leave a tip too. Twelve percent, it's still shitty, but better than the big fat nothing they were probably going to leave at the beginning of the mess. Loki knows the type. He's had coupons for tips before, he knows who to watch out for. 

When he gets back to Thor's table, he's a little surprised to realize his tall, slightly gangly customer is staring at him as though he's never seen him before. Loki's not sure whether to be offended at the thought or not. Thor (the name he'd found out from when blondie paid with a credit card a few weeks earlier) keeps staring at him until Loki clears his throat and holds out the coffee pot in his hand. 

“Top off?” He asks as politely as he can.

“Come work for me,” Thor replies. “Please.”

 

-

 

“Did we have to leave so fast?” the giant blonde baby beside Loki whines. “I could have stayed for a bit. There was a lot of fans waiting outside.”

“You signed enough autographs on your way in. They were told there wouldn't be any after, if they stayed, that's their own fault.” He scrolls through his phone, scribbling down important dates and times in his daytime planner. He refuses to let them miss anything important due to something like a broken phone or dead battery. Thor says he's paranoid for making two schedules, but he's not the one who needs to remember when and where his next cast meeting is. Loki is just careful. 

“But they waited so long, some of them were probably really disappointed!” Thor pouts and leans back against the seat of the car, his long legs stretching out in the limo. 

Loki doesn't care enough to roll his eyes. “I'm certain they'll live somehow.”

“You're so cold.”

“Someone has to be.”

Thor sighs and fidgets in his seat. He's such a child sometimes. “It wouldn't have taken long...”

“ _Mister Odinson,_ ” Loki says sternly, pausing in his work to shoot Thor a serious look. “You've been awake since five in the morning. You've barely had anything to eat. You have a meeting tomorrow morning at eight o'clock sharp, and a flight across the country to New York afterwards. You don't need to be standing out in the cold signing pictures for a few die hard stragglers, or doing interviews that ask you the same questions you've already answered over and over again previously. You need to go back to your apartment, eat something, take a shower, and _go to bed_.” He snaps his planner shut, enjoying the crisp _smack_ that echoes in the car from it. “Am I clear?”

Thor sighs and slumps in his seat, crossing his arms stubbornly. “Yes, _Mr. Laufeyson,_ ” he grumbles. 

Loki knows other assistants that would never dare speak to their boss in such a manner, but he can see the reflection of Thor's smile in the window. He's fine with it. Up front he hears Fandral snigger as he drives them down the freeway. 

 

-

 

Loki thinks Thor's offer over for a few days. In the end he only calls the number he'd been given because Loki's boss had told him he needed him to switch to the day shift, and since Hell had yet to freeze over, that was just not happening. 

He meets Thor in a bar about half an hour away from Loki's crappy apartment. The guy is waiting at a table in the corner, already halfway through a stein of beer the size of Loki's head. When he sees Loki approach his face visibly relaxes and he smiles wide, revealing his set of perfect teeth. 

“You're here. I mean,” He looks a little flustered. “I didn't know if you'd show or not. It was kind of awkward last time.”

Loki shrugs. “Any excuse to get out of the apartment.” He slides into his seat and waves the waitress over, ordering whatever the special of the night is. He already knows Thor's name, and he's certain Thor knows his from the tacky name tag he has to wear at work, but they reintroduce themselves anyways. Thor asks about the traffic, Loki answers politely, and they make generic small talk for about five minutes before Loki gets down to business. “So this job you want me for...”

“Yeah. That. Uh...” Thor fidgets and scratches the back of his head nervously. “If you want to say no, I'll totally understand, ok? Like, if at any point you want to be like 'k thanks bye' just tell me and I'll drop it.”

“I just spent the last couple hours cleaning scrambled eggs out of my hair,” Loki snorts, nodding to the waitress as she comes back with his drink. “If I wasn't interested, I wouldn't be here. What do you need?”

Thor seems to relax a little at that and smiles again. “Right. This is gonna sound kind of, well...douchey, but I'm sort of an actor.” He pauses to take a gulp of his beer. “Or at least, I'm trying to be. It's a rough start.”

“So I've heard,” Loki notes, taking a sip of his cocktail. Writing is hard enough, he couldn't imagine trying to break into acting.

Thor chuckles and runs a hand through his messy blonde hair. “Yeah... I mean, I'm luckier than some. I've done a couple smaller indie pieces, nothing major or great, but nothing too terrible either. My agent thinks the problem is that I'm just not very organized. And he's right, I mean, I'm really bad at planning and remembering dates, and I've missed a couple auditions because I got the days and times mixed up. So what I need is-”

“A personal assistant.”

Thor's cheeks turn red and he scratches at his cheek. “Yeah. Pretty much.” He smiles at Loki bashfully. “When I saw how easily you handled that rude customer the other night, and how smooth of a talker you were, I don't know. I just thought maybe I should ask you. And I mean, every time I see you when you're working you always seem to have everything under perfect control, even if there's a group of drunk idiots, or stressed businessmen, or homeless people just sitting inside for awhile. You always seem to know what to say to get things working fine.” 

Loki won't deny that. His father used to say that Loki could convince a person to buy bottled air if he wanted to. 

“Obviously I would pay you,” Thor goes on after taking another drink. “I mean, I'm not rolling in cash right now, but I could give you enough to get by on. And if I get more roles soon, then I'd pay you more. I know it's kind of a huge risk, but I figured I had to at least ask. So...” he licks his lips nervously. “What do you say?”

Loki purses his lips and swirls the straw in his drink around as he thinks it over. “What times would you need me for?”

“Uh... all the time...?” 

Loki resists the urge to snort. “Monday to Friday to start with. Are you going to pay me hourly or is this an on-commission sort of thing you're thinking?”

Thor looks nervous again. “What would you prefer?”

“Hourly. I won't set specific times a day because of the nature of the job, but I want a minimum of thirty hours a week.” He has an awful, low end apartment to pay for after all. “I'll keep a record of my time worked and you can review it at the end of each week to keep track as well if you'd like. Ten an hour to start, In a year's time if you have better roles coming in, I'll want a raise.”

Thor seems paler than before they started talking. “I... I don't know if I can afford that... not for more than a month or two. I've got some savings but I don't have any roles lines up right now.”

Loki hears it as a challenge. “Then hire me for two months. If it's not working for you by the end, fire me. But take me on and I'll make certain you don't regret it.”

Thor stares down at the bottom of his stein and frowns. “Twenty hours a week.”

“Thirty, nine fifty an hour.”

“Nine twenty five.”

“Deal.”

 

-

 

Loki collapses on his bed in a tired heap the second he gets home. There's so much to do, he's already going over the week's plan in his head, but he can't find the strength to even twitch his finger. Knowing Thor and his habits, Loki is going to have to show up at his place an hour early if he wants to convince him to eat a proper meal and not some foul leftover delivery for breakfast. It's always better if Loki reviews the outfit Thor picks for the day too, especially if there's a potential job in the meeting tomorrow. His dear client has been known to dress himself like a colourblind rodeo clown when left to his own devices. 

God, they'll need to be at the airport early as well, and Loki will have to double check their reservations for when they arrive, make sure the hotel and transportation is all in order, make several calls the second they hit the ground...

It's exhausting just thinking about it. 

He reluctantly drags himself up to strip away his clothes to get ready for bed. He's just pulling on his comfiest pair of sweatpants when he glances at the stack of papers on his desk in the corner. He hasn't worked on his script in ages, and there's a low ache in his chest when he realizes he's going to have to neglect it again for at least a few more weeks. There's just no time, what with Thor's schedule. 

_When I get back,_ Loki tells himself as he curls up beneath the sheets. _When I get back, I'll put my foot down and tell Thor I need a few days for myself, and I'll work on it then._

He closes his eyes and tries to remember where he left off writing, but his thoughts get distracted by the memories of seeing Thor half naked during the movie that night. Before he knows it, he's out like a light.

 

-

 

Loki hates Thor's agent. 

He's absolutely incompetent, more unorganized than Thor, with no good roles to offer on the table. He has no proper plans of action for the near future of Thor's career and worst of all, calls Loki ' _sweetheart_ ' when they first meet. 

Clearly, he has to go. 

Unfortunately, Thor seems to want to see the best in everyone, and doesn't quite understand Loki's concerns. It just means Loki is that much more eager to find a replacement. 

He meets Natasha by sneaking into a bar that rumour says a lot of agents frequent in their after hours moments. She's young, fresh to the business, but she's got a look of quiet determination that Loki recognizes from his own reflection. He chats her up in the corner of the room while the other big shots sit at the tables together, inflating their own egos. She's been working as a secretary so far for one of them, but she hates it. Loki doesn't need to ask why. When he asks if she has any plans to move forward on her own soon, she scowls and shakes her head.

“No clients,” she mutters into her glass. “I can't steal any of _his_ ,” she jerks her head towards her boss, “Without having some kind of reputation or experience to reassure them it would be a good idea. He's an ass, but he's a reliable ass.”

“I've got a client,” Loki says innocently. 

A week later, he gleefully calls up Justin to let him know his services are no longer required. 

 

-

 

“I think that went well. Do you think that went well?” Thor asks, giddy in his seat. 

“I have a positive outlook on it,” Loki answers, staring out the window of the plane. He should really be starting to pencil in the shooting schedule the directors they'd met with had discussed, but there's still hours of the flight left and he needs a few moments to just stop and do nothing.

“Yeah, it went well,” Thor grins wide at Loki. “Think we have cause to celebrate tonight?”

“Well no contracts have been officially signed yet.”

Thor rolls his eyes and nudges Loki in the shoulder playfully. It's awful how much Loki wants him to do it again. “Come ooooon. I'm a shoe-in, right? I mean, they said I was first choice for the lead. And it's a franchise, so woo-hoo steady paychecks for all!”

Loki huffs and tries to hide the curve of a smile threatening to destroy his cold outer persona. “If you want to go out and have a drink tonight, you are more than within your rights as an adult to do so.”

“Yes! Alright, where should we go?”

It's nice, these moments of simple conversation between them. Loki is ashamed to admit that he craves them like some terrible addict, and is also gladdened by the fact that Thor automatically assumes he'll be there with him. He can't help but feel prideful of it all when Thor looks at him so earnestly and squeezes his shoulder with his giant hands. 

“Wherever we go, they'll need to have big chairs. You look ready to crush that one.” Loki takes the opportunity to eye Thor up blatantly. He'd bulked up considerably for his first major role, and has kept up the muscle mass since. Loki found no reason to complain. 

“Steve said there's a place in Manhattan that's pretty nice and has big couches. We could go there.” Thor smiles and leans back, ignoring Loki's light teasing. “Bet they'd even make your favorite fancy drinks there too.”

“That could be nice.” It _has_ been awhile since they were able to sit down and have a drink together, just the two of them. Back when they were younger and just starting this whole thing, they were out together constantly. 

“Perfect, it's a date!” Thor nudges Loki again. “And don't write it down, I can remember this one.”

 

-

 

Nat's first find for Thor is, once again, a risk. Loki wonders how many they'll have to take before one completely blows up in his face. He's nearing the end of the first month of working with Thor, and half of it was wasted dealing with Justin and his terrible agenting skills. He can't waste much more time. 

Thankfully Loki's gamble on Natasha has been paying off. She'd gotten Thor his SAG-AFTRA union membership right off the bat, something he hadn't even been aware of while working with Justin. She'd also made a point to work _with_ Loki to find and schedule auditions, which he appreciates. She has an eye for things too, never going for the obvious action movie blockbusters, but rather for the more low-key television drama pilots.

“It's the best place to start,” She explains to both of them while they sit in a circle on the floor, eating take out at Thor's apartment. “Streaming services are what's about to take off. TV is getting better in terms of narrative and effects. The guy I was working under didn't believe it, waved me off like I was stupid, but I'm certain of it. That's the way you need to go. That's the way you're going to start getting recognized.” The tone and confidence in her voice is enough to get Thor sold on the idea.

Two days later, Loki makes certain Thor is at the audition for a mature fantasy drama series aimed for subscription networks. It's based on a book, and from what Loki can tell is some kind of norse, or maybe greek mythology inspired tale that has a fairly sturdy fanbase already. 

He can't remember being so nervous, pacing back and forth outside the audition room while he waits for Thor to return. Already he's seen several other men walk out, all tall and blonde with fairly good builds. It's kind of eerie, actually. 

Thor is even more nervous when he comes back. He's like a ball of energy with nowhere to go, and his worrying starts to get to Loki right away. 

They're back at their usual table in the bar where they'd first met up a month ago, drinking their nerves away when Thor gets the text. 

One moment he's taking a drink of his beer, glancing at his phone casually. The next, his eyes widen like saucers and he starts choking on his drink violently, spilling it everywhere and nearly dropping his phone on the filthy ground. Loki leans over and slaps him on the back to try helping, scrunching up his nose when Thor accidentally coughs on his sleeve. 

Finally, Thor manages to somewhat breathe again. At the very least, Loki doesn't fear for his life anymore. “I got it,” he wheezes from the coughing fits. “I got the part!”

There's a moment of silence where Loki stares at him. Then he's on his feet, hands in the air, and jumping up and down, laughing like a child. About three seconds later Thor joins him. They must look utterly ridiculous, but other than a few amused looks from other patrons, no one says anything about the two of them. 

Loki is just about to stop and congratulate him when Thor grips both of his shoulders, leans down, and kisses him. 

On the forehead.

“You're amazing!” Thor says giddily, still holding onto Loki tightly. “I was so worried I was never gonna get work again, that I'd be on a bus headed back home to grovel at the old man's feet, but you changed it!” He laughs and pulls Loki into the tightest, warmest hug he's ever felt in his life. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” 

“Thank Natasha, she got you the audition,” Loki mutters, knowing how red his face must be.

“Oh, believe me, I'm gonna thank her too. But you found her and convinced her to take me on! And you got me to the audition, got me better headshots, and you remind me to keep my fridge stocked and-” Thor breaks out into another grin. “Just. You're awesome, man. Thank you.”

Loki's heartbeat speeds up and he straightens his jacket to avoid looking at Thor's face. “Don't mention it. Just doing my job.”

They both get well and truly shitfaced drunk after that. It's a pretty good night.

 

-

 

 _It's a terrible night,_ Loki thinks miserably as he sips at his drink. 

Thor had texted Steve about the place he'd mentioned as soon as they got off the plane. Apparently, the two of them decided it would be grand if Steve tagged along. Oh, but he's bringing his friend Bucky. Oh, and his girlfriend Peggy. And his assistant, Sam. But wait, there's more, Peggy's got a friend who wants to come too, and she has another friend, et cetera, et cetera... 

It ends up being a big gathering of Thor's acting friends along with several entourages, and Loki shoved off to the back of the aisles once again, figuratively speaking. 

It's not that he doesn't like Thor's glamourous friends, he's just not a crowd person. And he'd thought( _hoped_ ) that it would just be the two of them tonight, like old times. He'd even dared to get a little excited about the idea of the two of them out together. A _date_ Thor had called it. A _date_. 

The word must mean something else in Thor's vocabulary, because this is definitely not the kind of date Loki had in mind. 

Of course, he should have expected something like this to happen by now. Thor is nearly his opposite in every way, and practically thrives on connecting with others. He loves going to parties and socializing, and it's an unwritten rule that any party Thor attends is generally considered a success. 

Loki tried to throw himself a birthday party once back in college. The only ones who showed up were his brothers, who left him with the bar tab.

He sighs and pulls out his phone to check the time. A part of him hopes Thor can notice him sulking at one of the smaller loveseats in the corner, and will come over to ask what's wrong. Maybe Loki can pretend they have something important to do in the morning, and then say it was cancelled tomorrow. Maybe if he tells Thor he's not feeling well it'll convince him to leave. Anything to get him out of yet another situation where he knows he doesn't belong. 

Maybe if he was actually done one of his scripts he'd at least have some kind of motive for sticking around and socializing. 

He slurps down the rest of his drink and tries to think of something other than his dying dream. _When I get back, this time for certain, when I get back, I'm going to work on it._

“Don't take this the wrong way, but you look absolutely miserable right now,” Someone says nearby. 

When Loki looks up, a man in a suit is grinning down at him. “Well? Am I wrong?”

Loki gives him a thin-lipped smirk. “I'm finished my drink, of course I'm miserable.”

The man nods sympathetically. “Understandable. What did you have?” When Loki tells him, the guy calls out to a nearby waitress and orders him another, slipping her a handful of bills to convince her to hurry it up. 

“Thanks...” Loki says, the question in his tone obvious. The guy takes a seat beside him and holds out his hand.

“Tony. And you are?”

“Loki,” he answers, shaking Tony's hand. The waitress runs back with his drink, tearing his attention away for a moment. 

“You an actor or something, Loki?” Tony asks with a cheeky grin. “Don't think I've seen you in anything before.”

“The screen couldn't handle this face,” Loki quips before taking a drink. “I'm Thor Odinson's assistant.”

“No kidding? That must be an... interesting job.”

“He keeps me on my toes. I manage.” Some days Thor had Loki wanting to rip his own hair out in frustration. He's held on to his sanity by thriving off of the grateful looks his stupidly handsome client gives him every so often. 

“I'll bet.” Tony smirks and raises his own glass to his lips. “So. As an assistant, I take it this isn't really your kind of scene then, huh?”

Damn, he's been found out. And he'd been trying oh so very hard to hide his discomfort. “What gave it away?”

Tony chuckles and leans back in his seat comfortably, subtly moving a little closer to Loki. “I'm a good observer.”

“So it seems.” He looks across the room to where Thor stands amidst a group of people, laughing at something one of his friends says. He doesn't so much as glance in Loki's direction. 

If Tony notices Loki staring at his client, he doesn't mention it. Instead he starts telling Loki about another bust of a party he'd gone to a few weeks ago where someone tried running into the shatterproof windows on a dare, only to end up crashing right through them to take a little dive into the dumpster below. Miraculously, he was still alive. 

Tony's a good talker, clever and witty, and Loki is grateful that someone's attention is on him rather than Thor for once. Ideally, he would have liked _Thor's_ attention on him, but he takes what he can get. 

About an hour later after trading a few stories and playful jibes, Tony's eyes get a familiar look in them. His arm is already around Loki's shoulders, and he's inched over enough since sitting down that their thighs are pressed against one another. It's no surprise at all when he leans close to Loki's ear and murmurs “I think we've both stayed here long enough to be polite party guests. Let's go somewhere a little quieter, just the two of us. What do you say?”

Loki hates that he automatically searches for Thor again. When he sees him engaged in conversation with a gorgeous woman, Loki nods. “Sure.” He stands up, only slightly tipsy. “Just let me tell Thor to get his own ride back.”

Tony waves in understanding and points to the bar, probably going to pay his tab. 

Loki taps Thor's shoulder a little harsher than necessary, but the big guy doesn't seem to mind. “Loki!” Thor exclaims happily. “There you are! I've been wondering about you. This is-”

“I'm heading out,” he interrupts. “Can you call Fandral to take you back to the hotel?”

“Huh?” Thor's face falls and he _finally_ gives Loki his attention. “You're leaving? Why?”

“Something came up. Private meeting.” He turns his head over to see Tony waiting by the bar for him. His new friend smirks and waves.

“Private...? Loki, are you-”

“Do you remember the name of the hotel?” 

Thor stammers for a second and then nods. “Yeah.”

“Got your room key? Wallet?”

“Yes.”

Loki nods and pats his arm. “Then I'll see you tomorrow morning. Get some rest.” He doesn't wait for a response. By the time Thor has anything to say, Loki is already halfway across the room, giving Tony the best damn 'fuck me' eyes he can possibly give. He needs this. 

Thor doesn't attempt to stop him. When Loki looks back over his shoulder on the way out, the man is talking with the woman again, charming smile back on his face. If Loki had any hopes that he made him the least bit jealous, they're dashed into the ground. He tries not to feel too disappointed, and focuses instead on the warmth of Tony's hand as he leads him outside and away from it all.

 

-

 

Thor may be unorganized, and he may be a little too naive and trusting of people sometimes, but damn it, he is a _good actor_. On the first day of filming the TV pilot, Thor knocks it out of the freaking park with his scenes. 

Loki stands back with the rest of the assistants and crew, watching intently as Thor plays his part. The show is called _Gods and Men_ , though the book is called something else. Now that Loki knows a little more about it, he decides he likes it. The story is interesting enough, at least. Whoever wrote the script did a pretty good job, and Loki is reluctant to admit he's even a little jealous. Perhaps later on if the pilot gets picked up, he'll see if maybe he can pitch an episode to one of the directors or producers. It could be a breakout place for him too. 

It's the costume department he's most impressed by, to be honest. For a television series, they really went all out. The 'gods' are regal and gorgeous, or intimidating and fierce. The 'men' (and women) are dressed like they've come from hidden tribes around the world, clothed in specific outfits to signify their allegiances and trademarks. Even the extras all look like they've crawled right out of the pages of their source material. It's quite the sight, and Loki silently thanks Natasha again for convincing Thor to try out for this role. 

Because he's the most splendid of them all. He's been cast as one of the gods, the ruling patriarch's eldest son. The god of war and disaster. He's been given beautiful armour to befit his character's status, but there's a sense of foreboding about it all too. His hair(a wig for now) is partially tied back, and he's been given war paint to wear on his face. From what Loki's read from Thor's script, it seems like his character is definitely an antagonist, which is odd, especially knowing how kind Thor is in person, but then again that's acting. In the meantime, Loki is just going to sit back and enjoy the view. 

There's more than a few veteran actors around as most of the main characters, but Loki proudly notes that Thor is holding his own against them when he has to share the screen. When the director calls for a cut every so often, some of them even comment on it. 

“Am I doing ok?” Thor asks during lunch. “I keep thinking I'm gonna forget my lines.”

“You're doing great,” Loki reassures him, patting his back carefully. “Just watch your hands. You fidget when you're nervous. Keep calm, and you'll be fine.”

Thor nods and scarfs down the rest of his sandwich. “Yeah. Okay.” He smiles at Loki warmly. “Thanks, man.”

It should be illegal for someone to look that attractive in costume. “Of course. Now hurry up, they're going to want you back soon.”

When they start shooting again, Loki notices that Thor's hands are much less shaky than they were earlier. In the final scene of the episode when he kills the Jarl's son for trespassing upon the land of the gods, it's almost as though he's truly become an entirely different person. 

Later that night when he's alone in his hotel room, Loki comes into his hand harder than he has in years thanks to the image of Thor in his armour, standing over a vanquished foe and smirking.

The pilot is picked up by a premium cable network immediately. Filming is set to resume in six months. Thor grows his hair out long enough to not need a wig, works out until he really does look like a god, and lets his beard come in to better suit his part. Loki is with him every step of the way, reaping all the benefits with his eyes. 

When he starts work on his next script in his spare time, it pure coincidence that the lead happens to look exactly like Thor. Really.

 

-

 

Tony is a good fuck. Not perfect, but Loki has definitely had worse. 

By the time Tony pulls out and takes the condom off, both of them have managed to come at least. 

“ _You_ are fantastic,” Tony says, a little out of breath as he lays back down beside Loki. “We definitely have to get together again the next time you're in town. And I'm not just saying that.”

“Charming,” Loki yawns. “Got a hand towel or anything? I really don't want to fall asleep with jizz on my stomach.”

“First drawer on the nightstand.”

Loki thanks him and cleans himself up quickly. “I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning, don't worry. I just really need to crash for a couple hours, I'm exhausted.”

“Of course you are. Stay as long as you like,” Tony purrs. “I will not complain.”

Loki gives him an amused smile and tosses the towel back. “Flattery gets you nowhere. I really do have to leave in the morning, there's a lot to do.”

“Odinson can't be that busy, can he? Surely he can give you a little time off?” Tony almost seems like he's pouting, and wraps an arm around Loki's naked waist to pull him closer. 

“Not this time. And he's got an audition tomorrow, I need to make sure he gets there in one piece.” He doesn't say what for, or where. He still doesn't know what Tony does, if he's someone's agent or something. Loki's fine with getting fucked by competitors, but he refuses to get fucked over.

Tony sighs and kisses Loki's neck affectionately. “Damn. Well, I hope he appreciates you as much as you deserve.”

Loki laughs. “You've already had sex with me, you really don't have to keep sweet talking.”

“It's part of my charm. Besides, it doesn't hurt to have a bed buddy for the future. What if we're both stuck in a layover in Delaware? Hours to kill, terrible airport, nothing to do... Suddenly this banked sweet talk is coming in pretty handy, don't you think?”

Loki makes a face. “Good point. I'll keep you on reference.”

Tony laughs and squeezes his hip. “Such a professional. If you ever decide to leave Odinson, you should seriously consider coming to work for me instead.”

“I'm not switching actors, I'm not that much of an asshole.”

“Good thing I'm not an actor, then.” Tony winks at him and then sits up to get the lights off. 

“Whatever you are. I'm fine where I am.” If he couldn't be with Thor romantically, then professionally was the next best position. Why give up a good thing?

He has a feeling Tony gets it, if the sigh is any indication. “Ah, loyalty. Stupid, stupid, loyalty.” The mattress dips as he lays back down. Loki can feel him staring in the darkness. “Is he really worth it?”

Loki thinks of Thor's face. Kind and open, easily laughing. Able to emote whatever a situation called for. The best actor Loki has ever seen. The best friend he'd been denied growing up. Loki was starved for affection, and Thor gave it in droves. Ever the greedy one, it was only a matter of time before Loki wanted to covet all of him for himself. If the only way he can do that is by helping Thor manage his life, so be it.

“He is.” Without a doubt.

“Shame. Well, if you ever change your mind, make sure I'm the first on the call list, got it?”

“Sure.”

He falls asleep not long after that. True to his word, Loki wakes up obscenely early the next morning and leaves without a trace. When he arrives back at the hotel, he checks his pocket for the room key and pulls out a business card instead by accident. Confused, he holds it up to get a better look.

 

_Tony Stark_  
Stark Entertainment  
CEO 

 

Loki gapes at the tiny print and feels his stomach drop. 

He'd just spent the night with the head of the biggest entertainment studio in America.

_Son of a bitch._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI the TV pilot is based on nothing, but I like to imagine it's like a mashup of Vikings and Game of Thrones. 
> 
> also, my [tumblr](http://noxdrawstrash.tumblr.com/)


	2. Quiet on Set

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got a little more emotional in some parts than I meant it to whoops

Shockingly, Thor is already up by the time Loki returns to the penthouse suite. He sits on the floor, as opposed to one of the big luxurious chairs by the coffee table, a mug in one hand and a script in the other. His head turns as Loki walks in. 

“Hey.”

“Morning.” Loki clears his throat, trying to keep calm. The little revelation about Tony was still at the forefront of his mind, and he had to find a way to change that. “You're up early.”

Thor nods and raises up the script. “Last minute cramming for that audition. Thought you'd approve.”

“Hm.” CEO. CEfuckingO. And here Loki had thought he was just some groupie's agent or something. 

“I made you a pot of tea by the way. It's on the counter. Might be kind of cold though, I wasn't sure when you'd get back...”

“Thanks.” Stark Entertainment? Seriously? The one fucking studio that had yet to hire them, and Loki ends up in bed with their CEO? If that info gets out after Thor eventually does work with them, it could be a PR disaster.

“Uh, Loki?” All over the headlines. _Thor Odinson, too good for the casting couch, Skanky Assistant steps up for him, takes one for the team._ God, the next time he sees Tony he's going to _murder_ him. 

“Loki, are you alright? You don't look well.”

Finally, Loki snaps out of the god awful train of thought he's been stuck in. Thor's standing in front of him looking worried and checking him over. “Did that guy do something to you? Are you hurt?”

He feels guilty for how much the concern for him and underlying threat to another person warms his heart. He really is a terrible person. “I'm fine, I'm fine. Sorry, just... long night, early morning.”

“Oh.” Thor scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “Um. Cool.”

“Yeah.” Loki steps over to the kitchenette, checking to see how warm the tea is. “Sorry if I worried you.” It's just this side of warm enough, so he pours himself a cup and loads it with sugar and cream. “How was the rest of the party?”

Thor shrugs and sits down in one of the nearby chairs. “Fine, I guess. I didn't stay long after you left.”

“No? I would have thought you and your friends would have still been out by now.”

“Come on, I'm not that bad. And I don't know. Just wasn't feeling it I guess.”

Loki shoots him a skeptical look, but Thor just blushes and takes a drink of his coffee. “It happens. Besides, I have that audition today, and I didn't wanna be in bad shape for it. I thought since, you know, you were out for the night I should try and be a little responsible.”

“How mature of you.” Loki is still surprised that Thor is even awake. 

He sits down across from him at the table, and pulls out his phone, attempting to take his mind off of last night by planning the shit out of the schedule for the next several weeks. Unfortunately Thor doesn't seem to find the silence comforting, and starts shifting in his chair. 

“You're fidgeting, why are you fidgeting?”

“What? I'm not-”

“You only do that when you're nervous or have something you really want to say, so get it out of your system now,” Loki tells him, keeping his eyes on the little screen in his hands while he types up an e-mail to Natasha. 

“I didn't know you liked guys.”

Loki's fingers pause. “Is that a problem?” He asks carefully after what feels like an incredibly long moment, slowly looking up.

“No, No way!” Thor rushes to answer. “Not a problem at all, just- I didn't know.”

“It doesn't matter.” 

“Uh, yeah it does. We've been friends for how long now? I feel like a total dick for not knowing this already!” Thor looks earnest enough, he probably does feel pretty bad. “Loki, if I've ever said anything, or made a joke that made you feel like-”

“Oh my god shut up, we don't have time to do an after-school special about this. It's fine, Thor, honestly. I keep to myself a lot, it's not a surprise you didn't know.” Loki hadn't exactly been swimming in dick since they met anyways. “You've never done anything wrong. Now calm down. Did you eat yet?”

“Hey, don't change the subject!”

“Did you?”

“Well, no, not yet, but-”

“There's a restaurant downstairs. We can eat there quickly and then head out to your audition.” He starts retyping his email to Nat. “Go over your script again in the car, land this part, and _then_ we can discuss this, alright?”

Thor scowls, but nods. “Fine.”

“Fantastic.”

 

-

 

His first love is awkward, to say the least. He and Svadilfari have always had a weird kind of friendship, a strange tension between them whenever they hang out. Thankfully, they wait until the summer _after_ graduation to actually start doing anything about it. Loki was already something of a loner under the radar, he hadn't wanted to make his high school life any harder than it had to be by suddenly becoming the token homo. 

They make out for the first time on Loki's couch while some random cartoon plays in the background, not the best choice for a romantic soundtrack. Still, they're both eighteen and horny as hell, so neither of them bother breaking away to turn it off. 

It's all awkward limbs and trying to figure out what to do with their hands. Svad's trail down to Loki's ass, but they don't really do anything other than sit there. Meanwhile, Loki is attempting to slip his tongue inside Svad's mouth, but his partner either doesn't get the hint or is just being stubborn because his mouth remains closed, and it's starting to give Loki the nervous feeling that maybe he's doing it wrong. 

They fumble around with each other for maybe fifteen minutes when the door swings open and Helblindi walks inside, blinking in surprise at the sight of them. 

Loki nearly kicks Svad off, but before he can, the other boy is already halfway out the door, probably attempting to outrun the ass-kicking of a lifetime he expects from Loki's eldest brother. Loki wonders if maybe he should have run too, his brother can get a wicked temper sometimes, but then after a long silence Helblindi sighs and plops down beside him on the couch. He takes out a matchbook and lights up a cigarette. 

“You shouldn't smoke inside.”

His brother shrugs. “Dad doesn't care.” He exhales a breath of smoke and reaches into the pocket of his jeans. “He might care about you and horse-face there though. Keep it in your room with the door shut, or go to his place next time. Stealth, y'know? Here,” he pulls out something and drops it into Loki's lap. Condoms. Great.

“Be safe about it,” Helblindi takes another drag. “Just 'cause you can't get knocked up doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful.” He pauses. “Make sure to lube up good too. Else it's gonna hurt and be no fun for anyone.”

Loki raises an eyebrow and wonders what else he doesn't know about his brother. “Thanks? I guess.”

Helblindi nods and reaches over to pat him on the shoulder. “S'what brothers are for.” He glances over towards the door. “Think your little friend has any relatives or buddies looking to score?” Ah, yes. The utility bills had come in that morning.

“He mentioned a cousin. Maybe they'll buy some off you.”

“Sweet.” Helblindi gives him another pat to the shoulder and stands up again. “By the way, no offence meant but... you could definitely do better.” He grins and leaves again, off to try to sell his 'wares' to some new customers. 

Loki sighs and stares up at the stained ceiling alone. “Duly noted.”

Him and Svad fuck three weeks later in the by-the-hour motel on the edge of town. It's definitely not as magical as the movies make it out to be. Another month later, Svad moves away for college while Loki stays and attends the local community one. 

He doesn't bother trying to meet anyone else for awhile.

 

-

 

“How did it go?” Loki asks once Thor leaves the audition room. The big guy doesn't look crushed, but he doesn't look overly excited either. 

“Good, I guess. They seemed to like me enough.” The two of them start to head outside together, Hogun and Volstagg trailing behind as always.

Loki frowns at him. “But?”

“They asked me to read for a different role. Kind of took me off guard, that's all.”

“That's it?” He didn't think that was such a big deal. It's happened before to a lot of actors anyways. “Which role?”

Thor ran his fingers through his hair, brushing it out of his face as they walk down the hall. “The brother. The cop.”

Well, it's definitely different from the main character, the criminal. Loki smiles and pats his back gently. “Well that's not so bad. You're more of a goody-two shoes anyways. And you'd look good in a uniform.” Oh, would he ever. 

Thor laughs, his usual cheerful disposition returning. “Yeah? You think?”

“Positive. Besides, isn't the brother the only one who lives through the movie? You know how much your fans hate to see you die.” 

“But death scenes are so much fun!”

Loki shakes his head fondly and holds open the door as they finally reach the end of the hall. Once they're all outside though, his eyes narrow. There's a crowd hovering around the sidewalk, and the second they see Thor, they start cheering his name and running over to get closer. Volstagg and Hogun both immediately move in front to keep most of them at bay while Loki tries to urge Thor towards their waiting car. “Please don't.”

“Oh come on, there's not that many. We can spare fifteen minutes can't we?” Thor gives him puppy dog eyes, and Loki scowls. One of these days, it will stop working on him. 

“Fifteen minutes and no longer. I mean it, Odinson.”

Thor grins and nods to his bodyguards, letting them know the situation. While he greets a few fans and signs some autographs, Loki hovers and does his best to try and not have a complete bitch face on this time. Anytime someone posts photos of Thor out and about, Loki is always pictured beside him looking like a troll. Fandral teases him about it constantly. 

Still, he told Thor he could have fifteen minutes, so that's what he gives him. 

When time is up and not a second longer, he taps the man's arm and motions for them to go. Thor nods and starts finishing up the last autograph he's scribbling down while the bodyguards motion for everyone to move along. A few of them don't seem to get the hint though and try to either push past or shove more papers towards Thor. Loki rolls his eyes and gives him a light nudge towards the car's direction. 

“That's all, thank you,” He says sharply to the crowd. “Mr. Odinson is very busy, but thanks you for your support.”

“Oh come on! We've been standing here for ages, he can sign one more, can't he?” Someone shouts. 

“Over here, Thor!” 

“I LOVE YOU, THOR!”

Loki fights the urge to roll his eyes, and motions for Thor to start moving. As he starts walking away, another fan attempts to get closer and Loki has no choice but to stand in front of them and glare. “As I said, Mr. Odinson has to go now. _Thank you_.”

“Don't be such an asshole, dude!” The guy in front of him scoffs, moving to shove past Loki. He takes barely a step before Hogun grabs his shoulder and yanks him back, giving him a deathglare. 

Loki doesn't waste another second, turning on his heels and practically pushing Thor into the car. 

“What the hell, did that guy just try to shove you out of the way?” Thor asks, looking angry. 

“Hogun handled it, it's fine.” The second after he says it, Thor's bodyguards climb inside the car with them and Fandral finally gets them going on their way. Loki tucks a stray lock of hair behind his ear and pulls out his phone to see what's next on the itinerary. 

“How are you so calm? That guy had no right to touch you!” Thor crosses his arms and frowns. 

“Like I said, it's _fine_. He didn't touch me, because I hired you good bodyguards who know what they're doing. Now calm down. You have a photo shoot with GQ in a few hours, you should be thinking about that.”

Thor scowls at the roof of the car. “He called you an asshole.”

“I am an asshole. So what?” It wasn't news to him that Thor's fans hated him. He was always the one to ruin their fun, making Thor leave and actually stay on schedule. Or if they took pictures while Thor had time off, Loki was always the one to catch them and demand they delete them all. Thor didn't enjoy having _every_ minute of his life broadcasted to the world, but he didn't like being rude to his fans either, so it was up to Loki to do the dirty work. There was actually several hate blogs about him circulating online. No one seemed to know his name though, so he's always loving referred to as ' _Bitch-Assistant_ ', or more creatively, ' _Bitch-Ass_ '. It's quite amusing, really. 

“You're not an asshole. You're a good guy, and they have no right to be rude to you.” Leave it to Thor to be overly sympathetic. At least his warm words keep Loki's cold heart from completely freezing over. 

“You're so kind, boss.” He smiles a little, revelling in Thor's compliments. It's almost enough to distract him from last night. 

_Oh shit, last night._

His worries return immediately and he just prays that neither of them see Tony Stark for awhile. Like, never, that would be a good time frame. 

Naturally, they see him at the photoshoot.

About half an hour after they arrive at the proper floor of the building it's being held at, Thor has just gone into the wardrobe and makeup room while Loki is sending another e-mail on his phone. A familiar voice calls out to him, and he nearly presses send before the message is even halfway written. 

“Loki! Is that you?” _Crap crap crap!_

He barely has time to put his phone away and look up before Tony is beside him, grinning like the stupid cat from Alice in Wonderland. He's dressed in ridiculously fancy grey suit, hair artfully messed to perfection, and brand name sunglasses gleaming in the light of the studio. _Who even wears sunglasses indoors? Other than Corey Hart._

_No, wait, that was Sunglasses at Night. Whatever. Still douchey._

Loki pastes on his usual assistant smile and nods in recognition. “Mr. Stark. A pleasure to see you again.”

“ _Mr. Stark_ , really? After becoming such close friends, I'd think we were at least on a first name basis.”

Loki keeps his smile in place, but internally wants to give him the verbal ass-reaming of a lifetime. The little shit must have known what he'd pulled. “Apologies. A pleasure to see you again, _Tony_.”

“Much better,” Tony grins. “I take it your boy's got a spread coming up then?” He nods his head towards the area they'd taken Thor to. 

“Seems your powers of deduction are uncanny,” Loki replies flatly. “And yes. They'd like Thor for a few page spreads along with an interview.” As if Tony didn't already know that. 

Stark whistles, feigning surprise. “Impressive. Maybe we'll be in the same one then.”

Loki raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yeah, they asked me to be on the cover for next month's issue. No big deal, it happens.” He was still wearing that shit eating grin. “Sad you left so early this morning, by the way. If I'd known we were all going to be in the same place later, I would have just given you and your boss a ride with me.”

“He had an audition,” Loki reminds him. “And we made it here just fine on our own, thank you, _Mr. Stark._ ”

Tony's grin finally drops. “You're angry.”

Loki thins his lips into a firm not-frown. “I'm just here on work business.”

“Oh come on, you're so totally angry. Why? What's wrong? Tell me. Are you angry?”

Loki debates keeping it to himself, but he's never been quite _that_ self controlled. His temper does tend to get the better of him sometimes, such as now. “Yeah, _no shit_ I'm angry!” He hisses under his breath, glancing around to see if anyone is paying attention. 

“Why? Rough morning?”

Loki lets out a humourless laugh. “Seriously? CEO of Stark Entertainment Studios, and you don't even mention it once?”

Tony, the bastard, just shrugs. “It didn't seem like good pillow talk. Or dirty talk.”

“Do you know how much trouble that could have caused if anyone found out?” Loki glowered. “If Thor ever gets a job from your company, people will think it's because I fucked you to get it!”

“What, you mean that wasn't the reason?”

Loki nearly strangles him, but then Tony steps back and laughs. “Kidding, kidding! It's a joke! I know you didn't know, that's why I invited you back.” He keeps laughing as he straightens his jacket. “Honestly, you worry too much. I think the big guy needs to give you a vacation or something. So high strung.”

“I'm not high strung, I'm just taking my job seriously. I'd appreciate it if you didn't put it in jeopardy again.” Loki crosses his arms sternly. 

“Oh, get over yourself, no one cares who you sleep with. Odinson's the one with his picture in all the entertainment rags, it's him they'd make a scandal out of me sleeping with. Which, not happening, he's not my type at all. So no worries.” Tony smirks and finally takes the stupid sunglasses off, setting them in the breast pocket of his jacket. “What'd he think about you running off last night by the way? Was he mad?”

Loki sighs. “No. He was fine with it.” It was stupid and kind of embarrassing. Part of him had hoped Thor would be out for Tony's blood after touching Loki. And then maybe Loki could have talked him out of it, and then they'd get in an argument which would end when Thor suddenly kissed him, which would lead to some long overdue sex in the penthouse, and end with them being the hottest boyfriends in the world. 

He _may_ have had too much time to think about it while he was waiting for Thor earlier that day.

God, maybe Tony's right and he is over thinking his importance. 

“Oh, well that's good. So he won't mind if you come around again then? Say, seven o'clock?” Tony asks, sounding like an eager child. 

Loki huffs and shoves his hands in his pockets. “We've got dinner plans.”

“No problem! I'll join you. Where at?”

“I really don't think-”

“Mr. Odinson! Nice to meet you!” Tony interrupts suddenly, waving his hand at someone over Loki's shoulder. When he turns to see, Thor is already on his way. And _oh_ it's not fair how good he looks in that navy three piece suit, with his hair pushed back. God, if he takes off the jacket and starts walking around in just the waistcoat Loki is going to-

“Uh, hi?” Thor says as he approaches, wearing a polite smile. “You're...”

“Tony Stark, Stark Entertainment. Good to meet you at last.” Tony reaches out and offers his hand, shaking Thor's firmly. “Your associate here has told me so much about you, unbelievable we haven't been introduced before.”

Thor's smile seems to waver a little. “You're the guy who left with Loki last night.”

Before Loki can speak, Tony grins again and raises his hands. “Guilty. Sorry. Hope I didn't make your night too difficult by stealing your assistant for a few hours, but he's just so pleasant that I couldn't help myself.”

Loki scowls at him darkly. 

“It's fine. I tell Loki he works too hard for me anyways,” Thor says lightly, smiling again. “I'm glad he had a good night off.”

“Me too,” Tony smirks, winking at Loki. Bastard.

Thor shuffles on his feet a little awkwardly, seemingly at a momentary loss for words. Maybe the idea of Loki and sex is really uncomfortable to him. _Great. Stupid Tony and his stupid mouth._

“Just gotta say I love the work you've done so far. You know, there's a project Stark Entertainment is coming up with next year that I really think you might be a good fit for,” Tony says, raising a hand to his chin and tapping his cheek thoughtfully. “I'd love to pick your brain over it. Think you and your lovely assistant can talk with me over dinner tonight? My treat.”

Thor looks surprised at the sudden turn in conversation, while Loki just narrows his eyes. _Very sneaky, Stark._

“Well...Loki and I sort of had a reservation tonight, but I mean,” Thor turns and looks at Loki a little strangely, “If you're cool with it, so am I.”

Now Thor and Tony are both staring at him, waiting for a response. And as much as he'd love to say that it's just meant to be the two of them tonight, if there really is a big project available next year for Thor...

He puts on a brittle smile. “Sounds great,” he answers. 

“Seven good with you? I'll text you the address,” Tony answers happily, stealing Loki's phone to type in his number. “Aw, you didn't put me in here already? I gave you my card.” 

“Busy morning,” Loki mutters, not meeting Thor's eye. 

Tony types in what he needs to and then hands it back to Loki, smiling sweetly. As if he's not a damn shark in the water. “Great. I'll see the two of you later then.” He pats Thor on the shoulder. “Good luck with the shoot. Loki,” he turns and gives him a sly grin. “I'll call you.”

Loki doesn't even have a response before Tony's gone, waving to a red haired woman nearby with a fancy looking tablet. She rolls her eyes and walks with him to the elevator, and then it's just Loki and Thor again. 

“Well that was interesting,” Thor states, turning to look at Loki. 

“I swear, I didn't know he was going to be here,” Loki whispers.

“Loki, it's ok, really. If you like him, I don't mind him being around, honest.”

“It's not like that, it's-”

“We're ready for you now, Thor!” Someone calls out, motioning for Thor to get moving. He nods and turns back long enough to squeeze Loki's shoulder.

“It's cool, seriously. And um. If you want me to split later, I will. You deserve to have some fun while we're here.”

He leaves too quickly for Loki to explain the situation better. 

 

-

 

He doesn't have a lot of friends in college. 

Which makes no sense. Loki had hated high school even though he was good at most of his classes, and according to a lot of articles on the internet that meant he was probably more of a college person. Supposedly there was going to be a lot more people interested in the same things as him, with more open minds. Maybe he'd even get a boyfriend and no one would care. It should have been great.

Maybe he was just in the wrong college. 

People still avoid him. Half the students he'd graduated Ymir High with have found their way into Jotunheim Community College, and they all seem the same to him, just dressed a little different. The only ones to initiate conversation are a couple sketchy looking guys who want to know Helblindi's number. He's used to that though, it's what happens when your brother is a drug pusher. Or in charge of the drug pushers. He's not entirely sure what Helblindi does, and he's never thought to ask. 

He doesn't do as well in his classes as he did in high school. It's like the rules have changed, or he's missing something. Except for his writing classes. 

Loki loves his writing classes. 

He comes up with all kinds of stories for them, trying out different styles, different ideas that he hadn't had the chance to explore in high school. 

Loki's grateful that he's no longer obligated to eat in a cafeteria with others. Instead he just eats on the steps of the library while he reads and then heads inside to work on his next assignment. If he doesn't have friends, it just means he doesn't have distractions. 

He manages to finish the first year of his program alright. The classes he likes, he passes with flying colours. The ones he doesn't, he barely scrapes by, but he passes nonetheless. He spends the summer working at a fast food place and trying not to spit in the burgers. 

If there are any other men who like men on campus, Loki has yet to find them. Then again, it's a small city, maybe they all left and Loki is the only one who stuck around. 

In his frustration/loneliness, he writes a romantic story about two men for his next assignment and gets a D- for his efforts. After that, his professor is not nearly so much of a fan anymore. Still, Loki keeps writing. He starts studying different plays, historic ones and contemporary. Then he moves on to movie scripts, and starts coming up with the ones he wishes he could see for himself, ones that he knows exist but that never come to the crappy local cinema. Most of the time they come nowhere near the criteria for his assignments, but he doesn't care. His grades drop drastically. 

He lasts one more year and then makes a decision. 

 

-

 

The one good thing to come out of the day is that Thor got to keep the suit, though he's already changed back into his own clothes. Maybe if he's sly about it, he can get Thor to wear it for Loki's birthday, sans jacket so that he can admire the way the waistcoat hugs his form, and how Thor's forearms look under those half-rolled up sleeves. That might make up for how awkward the trip to the restaurant is. 

They don't really talk to each other. Mostly because Thor's mother calls the second they get in the car, and doesn't hang up until they're three blocks away. 

“Sorry about that,” Thor says as he puts his phone into his pocket. “I forgot to call her on Sunday, and you know how she gets.”

Loki knows. He's met Frigga a few times, and every single time right after she left, he had to go hide in the bathroom for a few minutes to cry about how he wished she was his mother instead. “How is she?”

“She's good. Mostly she just wanted me to know what's happening back home and to catch up on what I'm doing. She asked about you too. She says hi. Oh, and also that I need to give you a vacation and a raise soon.” Thor smiles a little bashfully and scratches the back of his neck. 

“That's nice of her.”

“Yeah. So listen, after this guy is all done with business talk, I'm gonna head back to the hotel. Maybe go swing by Steve's or something. You should go out and have fun, you deserve it.”

Loki sighs. “Thor really, that's not necessary. We can leave together.”

“Loki, do you like this guy?”

“Well...yeah, I guess.” Stark was entertaining enough when he wasn't being a total asshat anyways.

“Then go out with him again.” Thor gives him another one of those strange half smiles. “I take up all your time. Hell, I can't remember the last time you actually went a weekend without coming to my rescue about one thing or another. I don't wanna be that guy who keeps you on a leash at his beck and call all the time.”

 _And what if I want you to be?_ Loki nearly answers. 

“Seriously, you deserve to have a social life. So... go have fun. I'll last the night without you.”

Loki snorts. “Will not.”

“Will so!” Thor sticks his tongue out. “I'll bet you breakfast.”

“You're on.”

Fandral pulls up in front of some ritzy looking place and lets them know they've arrived. When they go inside, a waiter leads them to a private table in the back, where Tony is chatting up a waitress as she fills up his wine glass. Upon seeing them, he smiles and stands up. “You made it!”

“Of course,” Thor smiles as they shake hands. He pulls out Loki's chair for him charmingly enough, and then takes his own seat. 

Loki is just grateful that Tony actually does have a part to offer Thor and wasn't just making it up to get them all at dinner together. It seems like a pretty big one too. Apparently the studio is starting to make a bunch of comic based movies, with the plan to have them all culminate into an ensemble film a few years down the road. It's risky as hell, and no one has ever done it before, but if it pays off it could be huge. With how enthusiastic Tony sounds about it all, it's hard not to be infected by his sense of optimism too. The only downside is that Thor will have to pass on the other franchise series he'd been about to take right before they arrived in New York. They'd be filming at the same times. 

“Can I have a couple days to think it over?” Thor asks as he and Loki exchange looks over their food. 

“Of course! Oh, but hey. This is pretty, y'know, top secret stuff. Don't go blabbing about it to your friends or TMZ or anything. When we show the trailer for the ensemble film and announce it officially, I want people to lose their goddamn minds. So keep it just between you two, got it?”

They both agree, but end up having to sign a waiver anyways. 

When the food is gone, the bill is taken care of, and business talk seems to be wrapping up, Thor stands up and shakes Tony's hand. “Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Stark. I really do appreciate all of this.”

“You'd thank me the most by signing on, but you're welcome.” Tony rises from his seat. “You two heading back home then?”

“Actually, I'm supposed to meet up with a friend right away,” Thor says quickly. “Loki's got the night off though.”

“Oh does he?” Tony smirks, glancing at Loki playfully. “Well, if that's the case...”

“I'll leave you both to it. Goodnight!” Thor says with a smile, touching Loki's back lightly and giving them both a small wave before he rushes out.

“Huh. Nice guy.”

“You have no idea,” Loki sighs. 

“So...” Tony says, walking up beside Loki and draping an arm over his shoulders. “Since you've got the night off, what's say you and me go visit this other spectacular bar I know of, get some drinks in us and then head back to my place? We were talking a lot of shop today, I'd love to step back and learn a little bit more about the enigmatic Mr. Loki Laufeyson.”

Loki stares down towards the entrance of the restaurant, catching a brief glimpse of Thor's back as he walks out the door. He sighs. 

“Sure.”

 

-

 

“You won't last three days,” his father had said, laughing bitterly between sips of whiskey. “Three days out there and I'll get a call from you, trying to pretend that you aren't crying and miserable, and being so fucking _obvious_ about it. You'll be begging me for money. As if I didn't give enough on that little college attempt of yours.” 

He still remembers the sneer on his face and the smell of his breath. More than anything though, he remembers the way his father's eyes looked; tinged red from inebriation and fatigue, and staring at him with _pity_ of all things.

“You like to think you're better than us, better than _this_ ,” he'd gestured to the run down house. He probably meant it to come out bitter; he just sounded tired. “But the truth is you're not, Loki. You're just like the rest of us. Running away to Hollywood won't change that. Deep down, you know it too.”

Loki left the next morning, determined to prove him wrong. He didn't bother to say goodbye to his father, who had been passed out cold on the couch. Byleistr had spent the night at his girlfriend's, and Helblindi was still in prison for seventeen more months. It was probably better that way, to make a clean cut of it. Less hassle.

Things were going to change. He would not be that loner flying under the radar anymore. He would not be another loser who couldn't make it. He was never going back to that dump again, and the next time he saw his father he'd rub his success in his face with nothing but pure satisfaction. Because Loki _was_ better. He'd prove it. 

His throat still clenched up when he checked his backpack at the bus station and found a hundred dollars shoved into the front pocket, the bills stinking of whiskey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna leave [this picture](http://tomandlorenzo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chris-Hemsworth-GQ-January-2015-Issue-Magazine-Editorial-Tom-Lorenzo-Site-TLO-3.jpg) here and say I was looking at it for... research reasons.


	3. Cameras Rolling

Loki's got Tony's cock halfway down his throat when his phone goes off. 

Above him, Tony groans and leans his head back. “Ignore it. Oh my god, _please_ ignore it.”

Loki rolls his eyes and resumes, hollowing out his cheeks while he bobs his head back. Casually, he slips his cell out of his pocket while he works and glances down. He's a multi-tasker. 

When he sees who's calling, he accidentally chokes on Tony's dick.

They part quickly, Tony slapping him on the back uselessly while Loki scrambles to answer the phone and stop coughing. “Hello?” he asks in an embarrasingly raspy voice. 

_”Hello? Is this Mr. Loki Laufeyson?”_

He clears his throat and shoos Tony away with one hand, glaring at him. “Speaking.”

_”Mr. Laufeyson, this is nurse Selvig at New York General Hospital. Do you know a man named Thor Odinson?”_

It's like Loki can feel his heart stop in his chest as time freezes. “What's happened? Is he alright?!”

_”He's just been admitted here after a traffic incident. You're listed as his Emergency Contact. Are you able to come here as soon as possible, Mr. Laufeyson?”_

Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god. “I'll be there as soon as I can!” He practically shouts, already climbing to his feet to find his clothes. 

_”That's good to hear. Check in at the front desk when you arrive, I'll be here to let you know which room he's in.”_

“Alright, yes. Thank you. I'm leaving now.” He hangs up the phone and nearly drops it. “Shit!” 

“You alright? What's happening?” Tony asks, cock still standing to attention from their little session. “You're shaking like crazy.”

“It's Thor,” Loki explains hurriedly, tugging on his pants as fast as he can. “He's- _fuck_ , he's in the hospital. Some kind of traffic accident.”

Tony pales, and Loki's a little grateful to know that at least he hadn't been blowing a completely heartless asshole. “Oh _shit_! Did they say what happened, or what state he's in?”

Loki shakes his head. “No, the nurse just told me to get over there immediately. I don't know anything else.” His fingers are trembling so badly that he can barely do up the buttons on his shirt. Tony must notice because the next second his hand is touching Loki's. When he looks up to see Tony's face, the other man is looking at him with concern.

“I'll get my driver. We'll be there in no time.” He gives Loki's hand a gentle squeeze. “It's gonna be ok.”

“You don't know that,” Loki says as he pulls away, ruining the moment. “And if you don't have pants on by the time I find my jacket, I'm leaving without you.”

 

-

 

Thor works himself to the bone on his first big acting gig. Every day they show up to the set of _Gods and Men_ , Thor sits patiently for hours as they do his wardrobe and makeup, and doesn't complain about it at all once they start filming. Loki watches everyone from the sidelines, and after about a month into filming he knows who all the whiners are. One of the other younger actors playing Thor's brother is especially fickle about his fight scenes in armour, much to everyone else's annoyance. 

Thor though, he takes the bulky costumes, the complex fighting choreography, and the long hours in scorching hot to freezing cold weather and doesn't say a word about it. One day he films a fight scene with Eric and by complete accident, gets knocked in the jaw with one of the weapons. It's only after they've finished shooting for the day, when him and Loki are alone in his trailer that he starts to wince and clutch at his face.

Loki ends up driving him to the dentist to get his broken tooth pulled and taken care of.

Thor goes back to work the next day without complaint, and trudges through a muddy river in full costume while it rains.

He's resilient, is the point.

 

-

 

Loki knows it's against hospital policy to run in the halls, but he doesn't care. He's moving like a bat out of hell to find Thor's room. 

_Please be alright, please be alright, please be alright..._

When he finally finds it, he bursts through the door without thinking and prays that he's not about to look at a bloody corpse. 

Thankfully, Thor looks like he's still in one piece. There's some nasty scrapes and scratches on his cheek, and a lot of bandages on his arms and chest, but it doesn't look life threatening. A nurse stands in the corner writing something on a clipboard. She looks up when Loki enters, but he doesn't pay her much more than a brief glance. He's at Thor's side instantly, looking him over for any damage that he might not have noticed when he first entered. “Thor?”

Blue eyes slowly blink open and take a moment to focus. They look a little glassy when Thor's gaze settles on Loki's face, and it doesn't take more than a few seconds for Loki to realize that Thor is high as a fucking kite. 

“I owe you breakfast,” he says with a small giggle, and at that moment Loki is torn between kissing Thor or strangling him. 

He settles for breathing an audible sigh of relief and then smacking Thor on the shoulder despite the nurse's immediate reprimand. “ _Jesus fucking-_ Don't ever to that to me again, you ass! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?!”

A dopey smile breaks out over Thor's face. “Awww, Lokiii... you were worried about me?”

“Of course I was worried! They told me 'traffic accident', and here I thought you'd flown through a windshield or had been hit by a semi or something. I was expecting to come here and find you in pieces!” He knows there's not much point to complain to Thor when he's hopped up on who knows what kind of med cocktail, but he can't help it. He really had been terrified. “I thought you'd be dead before I got here!”

Thor frowns like a child who's been scolded for trying to get a treat from the cookie jar. “Oh. 'M sorry, Loki.” He reaches up with one of his gigantic hands, the one that isn't hooked up to an IV, and pats Loki's cheek. “Not dead. Won't do it again.”

“Damn rights,” Loki mutters, his cheeks warm from Thor's touch. “I'm putting reflective stripes on all of your clothes when you get out of here.”

Thor laughs a little too loud for the nurse's liking and she kicks Loki out soon after that. To his relief, Volstagg and Hogun are standing outside the door of Thor's room as an extra precaution. Still, despite knowing Thor is okay, it makes Loki anxious to be far from him. Luckily there's a waiting area just down the hall, so he doesn't have far to go to sit down. 

Tony's already waiting there for him, sitting up straight and tapping his fingers on his knees. When he sees Loki he stands up. “Well? How is he?”

“Completely stoned. He'll be fine.” Loki collapses into the chair next to Tony's and exhales loudly. “I still don't know the details, but it seems like it was a minor accident.”

Tony's shoulders relax and he sits back down. “Oh. _Phew!_ Well, that's a relief.” He reaches over and pats Loki's shoulder. “See, I told you it would be fine. You should listen to me more.”

Loki grunts in response. He should really text Natasha, let her know what's happening so she can get a statement out or something. He's too tired though. Fearing for Thor's life is exhausting. 

Tony stays with him for awhile, which is nice considering they've known each other a total of two nights. Still, even he can't put his life on hold to do whatever he wants. About an hour of restless nothing later, the red haired woman from earlier walks into the waiting area. She doesn't even say anything, just shoots Tony a _look_ , and then he's on his feet apologizing to Loki for having to split. 

“Seriously, give me a call later to let me know how the big guy is doing, ok?”

Loki nods. “Thank you. For... all of this.” He's too tired to go into detail.

“Hey, no problem.” He pats Loki's shoulder. “I mean, you _were_ doing some pretty great stuff before all this happened, so-”

The woman clears her throat. “ _Tony._ ”

“Right, right. Anyways.” He pulls Loki into a hug. “Number. Call it.” 

He gropes Loki's ass and then pulls away, letting the woman lead him back towards the elevator. A moment later, Loki is left alone in the area. He sighs and sits back down on the uncomfortable plastic seat, leaning back and closing his eyes. 

He doesn't sleep, not really. He manages to lightly doze for random periods, just on the verge of dreaming, only to jerk back awake at the sound of a telephone, or a page for a doctor over the intercom. He's not even sure what time it is, he hasn't checked his phone once since coming in. 

He's pondering whether or not to go searching for a coffee machine when a brunette woman in a white coat and scrubs walks up to stand in front of him. Like the nurse, she's holding a clipboard with some papers on it. “Excuse me, are you Mr. Laufeyson?”

He tries to blink himself into becoming more awake and nods, though he doesn't stand. “Yes, that's me.” He clears his throat. “And you are?”

“I'm Doctor Foster, I'm the one in charge of taking care of Mr. Odinson,” she explains with a smile. “The receptionist mentioned you've been here awhile, I thought I should come find you and get you all caught up on what's happening.”

“Oh. Thank you.” At last.

“Of course. Now, first off, I just want to let you know that Mr. Odinson is going to be just fine, so there's no need for any major concern,” she says calmly, taking the seat Tony had previously occupied. “We've given him some medicine for most of the pain, and he had to receive a few stitches, but he should be ready to leave in the next day or two.”

Loki nods. Good. The sooner they can leave the better. “What happened to him?”

“Well,” She frowns. “It appears your friend had a couple drinks late last night. Or early this morning, however you want to look at it. He was leaving a bar downtown and didn't check before crossing the street when he was struck by a passing vehicle.” She glances down at her clipboard. “Thankfully, the driver wasn't going too fast. Not to mention, Mr. Odinson's inebriated state may have actually helped in his body's reaction to the impact.”

“You're kidding me.”

She gives him a nervous laugh. “I know, it's crazy, but it's been known to happen. Anyways, he sustained a minor fracture to one of his ribs, and some bruising to a couple others, a few lacerations on his arms and the back of his head, and some scrapes on his face and hands. Really, most of the visible damage comes from the impact of him hitting the pavement. He's quite lucky it wasn't much worse.”

Loki puts his head in his hands and digs his fingers through his hair. “I don't mean to make your work pointless, Doctor, but I think I'm going to kill him once he's out of here.” All this because Thor wandered out drunk in the street. He'd probably given Volstagg and Hogun the slip before stepping out too. That fucking _idiot_.

God, if only Loki had been there with him, it might never have happened. He would have never let Thor out of the bar until he knew Fandral was outside with the car. He would have made damn certain one of the bodyguards was close by. He could have prevented all of this, _but no_ , he had to go suck off a billionaire halfway across the city instead. Damn it, it was all his fault. 

Doctor Foster just smiles and tucks her hair behind her ear. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, he's going to be feeling this for a few weeks. It'll be his body's not so subtle way of punishing him.”

“It's a small comfort.” Why the hell had Loki thought leaving him on his own for the night had been a good idea? He was just as stupid as Thor. 

“He really will be fine now. It's you I'm concerned for now. You look exhausted, Mr. Laufeyson. You should go home and rest.”

He shakes his head. He left Thor alone for a few hours and look what happened! If Loki leaves again, the fool might choke on his own spit and accidentally die. Then what?!

She sighs, but doesn't seem surprised. “You know, he's going to need a change of clothes along with any toiletries he uses. Toothbrush, shaving kit, whatever. It would probably be a big help to him if you brought him some.”

He isn't stupid, he knows what she's trying to pull. Still, she has a point. 

“Fine,” he grumbles. “But if anything happens, I mean _anything_ , I want to be the first to know.”

“Understandable. I'm certain you have nothing to worry about, he's under surveillance, but I'll make sure you're up to date with everything.” She smiles again. “Now will you please go home and try and get at least a few hours of rest?”

He huffs and nods, scowling as she leaves to go talk to the receptionist. Just a few hours. He'd be back before Thor even sobered up.

Just a few hours.

 

-

 

“You're starting to get quite the following,” Loki tells Thor gleefully as they lounge about in their tiny hotel room. Thor doesn't have to film another scene for two days, and while they had both been excited about exploring Ireland on his days off, tonight they're both content to just stay in and relax. “Apparently you're exactly how a lot of fans pictured that character. And some of the ones that were skeptical say they've been won over.”

“Really?” Thor perks up visibly, a grin creeping up on him. 

Loki nods and glances at the screen of his laptop again. He'd actually managed to buy a decent one finally, though he has to share it with Thor more than he likes. “Those promo pics of you in costume have been circulating. It's got people interested in you.” He can't blame them. He may or may not have printed those very pictures off with the intent to pin them up in his room when he gets home. “There's way more buzz for this show than I thought. I think Natasha was right about this being your big break.”

Thor groans and lays back on his bed. It's almost comically too small for his giant frame. “God, I hope so. I'd love to be famous enough to get a hotel room suited to my size.”

“I think there's one upstairs.”

“What, really?”

“Yeah, you just have to climb a beanstalk to get there. Shouldn't be a problem,” Loki teases, ducking his head as Thor throws a pillow at him. He throws one back, and before long they're beating each other up with them, laughing and yelling like stupid teenagers. 

After awhile, when Thor decides Loki's had the advantage for longer than he likes he ducks and throws himself against Loki, landing them both on the other squeaky little bed. It's a familiar game to Loki, wrestling around with another guy. Byleistr was especially prone to it when Loki hogged the television too much back when he lived with his family. Back then Loki absolutely hated wrestling. He's just never been very good at it. 

It takes Thor about ten seconds to pin Loki down. He's warm like a furnace, about twice Loki's size, and his strong muscles make certain that Loki has no chance of throwing him off. But it's not threatening, no. Loki knows Thor by now, and he trusts him more than he's ever trusted anyone in his life. It's almost scary how easily he's given his faith to him.

For a moment Thor grins down at him, the low light of the room casting his eyes into a deep navy colour. Strands of long, blonde hair have escaped the loose ponytail he's tied it back in, and frame his handsome face perfectly. He's the most gorgeous man Loki's ever seen in his entire life.

He wants to lean up and kiss him so much, it hurts. 

Instead he sticks out his tongue and glares weakly. “Oh, fine, you win.”

Thor laughs at him. “What? Giving up so easily?”

“Oh get off, already. You're crushing me.”

 

-

 

He slept more than just a few hours. When he wakes up and realizes what time it is, Loki jumps out of bed and races around like a madman to try getting all of Thor's things together. Thankfully everything's already travel sized in order to fit in Thor's suitcase, and some fresh clothes are already hung up in the closet. It takes him a total of maybe ten minutes to put an overnight bag together and meet Fandral downstairs. 

“I swear, he didn't let me know he was coming out of the bar,” the driver explains again when they're on the road. “I was circling the block waiting for a call when it happened. If I'd known he was ready to leave-”

“It's not your fault,” Loki cuts him off, double checking that he has everything. “Who knows what got into his head? Besides, when he gets in one of his moods, there's no talking him out of anything.” He probably got drunk and mopey and wanted to be alone for awhile. Never mind the fact that he was fucking famous and staying in New York goddamn City. 

Fandral doesn't respond at first, glancing back and forth between Loki and the road. “Volstagg and Hogun feel really bad about it too...”

“I'll talk to them later.” 

“You're not gonna fire them, are you?”

Loki's lips thin into a hard line. “I said _I'll talk to them later._ ” He knows it's not their fault either. Still, doesn't hurt to keep them all on their toes. “For now, just concentrate on getting us there in one piece.”

Fandral looks away nervously. “Yes, boss.”

Loki is dropped off at the entrance while Fandral searches for parking. There's a crowd gathered outside the hospital doors and another across the street. Fans and Paparazzi, wonderful. Only a matter of time before someone found out, he supposes. Narrowing his eyes and readying his best bitch face, Loki storms through them in a straight line, not stopping for even an instant. By the time any of them realize who he is, he's already past the front doors. 

A few people try to follow him inside, but there's a security team already dashing over to shoo them away while Loki immediately checks in and heads up to the floor they're keeping Thor on. His hands tightly grip the straps of the overnight bag he's brought, and even though he knows Thor is fine, he can't help but feel a little anxious about seeing him again. It had truly scared him, seeing Thor bandaged up and laying on a hospital bed, hooked up to machines. He was just amazed he hadn't had any nightmares about it the night before. 

There's no unwelcome guests in the waiting room, which makes Loki breath a sigh of relief. He nods to Hogun and Volstagg on his way into Thor's room, though he doesn't say anything. He'll speak to them more after he's seen that Thor has everything he needs. There's no nurses or doctors in the room this time when he enters, for which he's grateful. He's always the most relaxed when it's just the two of them. Thor is awake, and upon seeing Loki he smiles and sits up only to wince in pain the next second. 

“Don't strain yourself,” Loki orders as he sets the bag down on the small dresser provided in the room. “You were hit by a car, you can lay still for a few days.”

“ _Urgh,_ ” Thor grumbles miserably, turning his head and staring at the bag. “What's that?”

“Figured you'd be stinking up the place by now, so I brought you a change of clothes for when you get out, some shampoo and conditioner to clean your rank looking hair with, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor...” he opens the bag and looks it all over as he lists them out loud. 

“Thank you,” Thor replies, relief evident in his voice. “Oh god thank you. I feel gross just laying here. I don't even know how long it's been. What year is it?”

“Hilarious. I'm sure a nurse will come by with a calendar soon, and to help wash you later.” Lucky day for them, whoever they might be. Loki frowns and takes a seat beside the bed. “So tell me, how are you feeling today?”

Thor groans and leans his head back. “I feel like I've been hit by a car. _Oh wait,_ I was.”

Loki rolls his eyes. “So I've been informed.” He sighs tiredly and hunches over while he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Honestly, Thor, what were you thinking walking out into traffic like that? You're lucky you're not dead!”

“I know, I know. Sorry. I was drunk, I just wanted some air.” He keeps his eyes firmly away from Loki's. “It just got really stifling in there was all. I was starting to panic.”

“You should have called Volstagg or Hogun before you left.”

Thor shrugs, very lightly Loki notices, and pouts. “I just wanted to be by myself for a minute.”

Seems Loki had guessed completely right then. “What happened to going to hang out with Steve while I was gone?” Steve was at least responsible. For an actor, anyways. 

Thor shrugs again. “He was busy with Peggy. And Bucky. I didn't feel like seeing anyone else so I thought it would be nice to go get a drink by myself for awhile, but that didn't work out so well.”

“Clearly.”

“Ha ha. Trust me, I'm paying for it now.” He winces again as he shifts on the bed. “I really wish they'd give me some of whatever they gave me last night, at least then I couldn't feel anything.”

“It's probably so that you remember why you should never do something that reckless again.”

“Yeah, probably,” Thor mumbles. 

For a few minutes there's only silence between them. It's not... _awkward_ exactly, but it's not comfortable either. 

Finally, Thor turns his head back to look at Loki. 

“I'm really sorry.”

“It's fine.”

“It's not,” Thor whispers. “I was stupid. And I remember you were here last night.” He bites at his chapped lip, looking like a kicked puppy dog. “Did I ruin your evening with Tony?”

Loki shakes his head. “It's ok. You didn't ruin anything.” He pushes a hand through his dark hair nervously. “I was just relieved to know you were alright. If anything worse had happened...” He stops and clears his throat. “I mean it though, if you ever do something like that again...”

Thor smiles halfheartedly and nods. “Yeah, I know. I give you permission to kick my ass.”

“I want that in writing.”

Thor laughs a little, though it must cause him some pain from the expression on his face. “I really am sorry, Loki. I'll... I'll make it up to you somehow.”

“Enough. You can make it up to me by resting up and getting better. I'm not staying in this damn city for longer than we have to just because _someone_ doesn't know how to cross a street.”

Thor grins and look ready with a comeback but he's interrupted by a knock on the door. When they both look over, Doctor Foster is standing in the doorway, smiling at the two of them. Her hair is tied back this time, and she's lacking her clipboard. “Gentlemen. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?”

“My friend here is teaching me proper traffic safety rules,” Thor answers with a smile. “He thinks I need an update for some reason.”

Loki rolls his eyes again while the doctor chuckles. “It's good to see you've still got a sense of humor, Mr. Odinson,” she grins, stepping further inside. “I'm just here to check your vitals, make sure everything is stable.”

“Aww, that's sweet of you, Miss...?” Thor leaves it open ended, and oh no he's using his charming voice. 

“ _Doctor_ Foster,” she answers, clearly onto him. 

“And is 'Doctor' your first name?” Loki slaps a hand over his face. God. He's embarrassed for Thor. It's not the first time, certainly won't be the last.

The doctor doesn't seem particularly impressed either, but she keeps smiling as she walks over and looks over a chart on the wall. “That car must have hit you especially hard if you think that's a good line to find out a girl's name,” she says. “But for your information, it's Jane.”

“ _Jane_ , huh? That's a nice name. It suits you.”

“Oh? And you would know this after our insightful handful of meetings, half of which occurred while you were high on pain killers?” Jane responds playfully. 

“I would.” Thor smiles, and it's one Loki recognizes as flirtatious. _Oh no_. “I have a knack for these things, you know.”

Jane arches an eyebrow and folds her arms, yet that damn smile stays on her pretty pink lips. “Do you now?”

The two of them share a look, and suddenly Loki feels very cold and far away. 

_Not again._

 

-

 

Thor and Sif hook up during the second season of filming _Gods and Men_.

To her credit, Sif is a great actress. She displays just the right amount of emotion required for her scenes, and she does her stunts as well as any of the men in every single take. During one fight scene with Thor, the crew nearly gets the whole thing done perfectly on the first run, which is incredibly rare. It's only a matter of time before they get together in real life. Their chemistry on screen is incredible, and Loki is certain that the fans are going to love it. 

He however, does not have any chemistry with Sif at all. Beyond the bad explosive kind anyways. 

Maybe it's Loki's fault. She gets along great with everyone else after all, and her and Thor become instant friends the moment they meet, but for some reason her and Loki just don't... _mesh_. 

He's pretty sure they both know why but he's too stubborn to admit it.

Before they're official, when they all hang out together after a day of filming, Loki knows he should leave the two of them together more often. He should be a good friend and make up some excuse to get out so that Thor can get to know her better. He knows Thor likes her, a good friend would do his best to set them up. But he doesn't. Thor never gets mad at him for it, but Loki can tell it aggravates Sif. 

At first he tries to reason that Thor may need him for something, that technically they are still on the job. And what if any crazy fans find them? Someone will need to deal with them and make sure they don't get too personal or clingy.

It's all bullshit excuses though. The show has done incredibly well after the first season aired, but it's still new enough that Thor can walk around without being recognized. His schedule is not exactly crammed full either, and the sad truth is that he does not need Loki that much right now. Thor is too nice to admit this of course, and perhaps he doesn't even realize it, but Loki isn't blind to the truth.

Neither is Sif. 

He _knows_ it's her who set up the distraction, he just _knows_ it. Something about a problem with Thor's shooting schedule. It's just a minor mistake, almost suspiciously so, and by the time he fixes it Sif has already convinced Thor to leave the set early and go check out some bar in the city with her. 

Loki remembers that moment for years to come; walking out of the director's trailer and looking around the acting lot for Thor. He searches for forty minutes before he finally understands what's happened. In that moment of terrible realization, he suddenly feels like that lone loser back in school all over again. Out of place. Alone. Unwanted.

Thor doesn't come back to their hotel room that night. Loki tries calling, but it goes straight to voicemail. 

He doesn't bother with a text, his eyes are too watery to see the screen clearly. He also knows when a fight has become futile. He's lost.

After that, Loki plays the part of the good friend like he was supposed to weeks earlier and gives Thor and Sif their due alone time together. By the next week they're officially dating one another. 

What follows is the worst god damn year of his life.

He's unable to schedule some good auditions because Thor is out of town visiting Sif's parents. Loki finally manages to balance Thor's itinerary, but then has to redo it completely because suddenly Sif has some free time available and Thor needs to take her out. He can barely pay his bills with how little he sees Thor during the break between filming, the man is so busy with his new girlfriend. Loki's forced to let Natasha take pity on him and hire him as her part-time assistant for awhile in order to make up for it. With all his new free time, he should start working on his scripts again, but he feels so miserable and bitter about being ignored that he doesn't write down a word. It seems like all of his hopes and dreams are crumbling to dust in front of his eyes and he's completely powerless to save them. 

Then Sif's character is killed off halfway through the next season. 

Loki is probably the only person on set who is glad to see her go. Of course she goes out with a bang, and Thor's acting has never been better than it is on the day of her death scene. It's only because of how obviously emotional Thor is about her leaving that Loki is able to feign the melancholy everyone else is feeling. Overall the episode is very dark, very emotional, and a sure fire ticket for an Emmy nomination. 

Personally, Loki thinks it's another example of the droll fridged woman trope, but he can't find it in him to complain too much when it suddenly becomes a lot harder for Sif and Thor to see each other for four months out of the year.

As she says goodbye to everyone after filming has wrapped, Loki is the last to wait patiently in line with the rest of the crew to give her a hug. When Sif reaches him, her jaw hardens considerably.

“It's not going to be the same without you here,” Loki murmurs in her ear as they embrace. 

“We'll see,” she whispers coldly.

Two stubbornly drawn out months later, Sif and Thor break up. The distance thing just isn't working out.

What a shame.

 

-

 

Jane is nothing like Sif, and right away Loki knows this is going to be bad for him. 

Thor's got that look in his eye, that wretched, familiar _beautiful_ look, and it doesn't go away, not even after he gets a clean bill of health and is given the go ahead to leave the hospital. Loki tries to hurry them along so that they can get out as soon as possible, and he almost makes it without any problems or encounters. Almost.

Doctor Foster is in the fucking elevator when they get in. Naturally, she's going down to the first floor too. 

“Good to see you leaving in one piece,” She says cheerfully. 

“Thanks to you,” Thor grins. “I live to work another day.”

“I hope your acting is better than your pick up lines.”

Thor's eyes widen for a moment and then he smirks. “Much better. Think that means I just need to practice better ones?”

Loki doesn't like where this is going. Beside him, Hogun and Volstagg just give each other smug, knowing looks.

“I could use someone to help me test them on.”

Jane's cheeks are flushing slightly. “Could you?”

“I hear this restaurant in Brooklyn is extremely good for hearing people's terrible pick up lines. Especially around seven on Friday. Think you'd be willing to help me out?” _No, no, no..._

Jane hums and purses her lips. “Oh. I don't think so...”

Loki perks up as Thor blinks in surprised disappointment. His bodyguards seem shocked as well, no one ever turns Thor down. Why would they?

“But if you need a partner for _Thursday_ , now then I think we'd be in business.”

It takes a few seconds for her words to register, but Thor regains his confidence quickly. By the time they leave the elevator, he's got a date with the doctor. Volstagg grins and nudges his side while Hogun nods approvingly. 

As they head outside through the throng of paparazzi and fans, Loki just considers following Thor's example of letting himself get hit by a car. It would probably feel about the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all the lovely comments and support! Also, come say hi on [tumblr](http://noxdrawstrash.tumblr.com/) if you haven't yet! At some point I'll be doing dumb doodles of this 'verse and that's where they'll be.


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